While baby and mom undergo the more strenuous physical experience when it comes to childbirth and the initial few months following the big event, men also go through a lot. The emotional effects of new fatherhood can manifest in everything from mild stress to severe depression, so it’s important for the guys to take care of their own health for their sake and that of their family. On this week’s Family Matters with Tracey Serebin, Tracey and I talk about ways for men to stay healthy and in sync with their changed lives. Tracey’s interview with me on her Internet radio program runs 30 minutes, following her segment with Dr. Shoshana Bennett, who covers mom’s health. Log on to the new installment and click “Listen Now” or “Podcast.” You can also read many of my suggestions for dad’s well being under the Ask Family Man section of this site.
Man, it’s going to be tough for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama to stay consistent, but I continue to be thrilled to have these two as parenting models. The Chicago Tribune reports that, among the family habits the Obamas follow are reading regularly to their daughters and having a date night for each other. They may be raised on a pedestal by some, but there is a lot of down-to-earth living going on there that makes us realize they have many of the same challenges we do.
It’s only fitting that a day celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., comes before the inauguration day of our first African American president. These days are made more inspiring following my biannual trip to various Southern U.S. states with a group of high school students. We made the journey, visiting numerous Civil Rights locations, including the Rosa Parks Museum and the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr., preached in Atlanta, Georgia. Seeing all of these places last November, right after the nationwide election, was deeply moving for my students and I.
But no place held more significance for me than the Lorraine Motel, now housing the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Please forgive my sentimentality, but the place has real power, particularly on the upper floor where the room King stayed in is preserved. There, as I looked through the glass that separates visitors from the spot where King was assassinated for peacefully challenging discrimination, I felt like I was touching the bottom of a deep lake of hatred, only to spring back up on the knowledge that our country had looked beyond race to elect a person based mostly on his accomplishments and ideals.
And so, we parents have a unique two days on January 19 and 20, 2009. They are 48 hours in which we can teach our children about equality and human progress through our personal stories, great books, music, videos, and a television broadcast of the Presidential Inauguration. There are so many resources to choose from, but here are a few. If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King is a wonderful book for older kids and Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr., is great for younger ones. The latter book is also part of an inspiring video on African-American culture from Scholastic Video. Look for classic songs about the Civil Rights movement and listen to contemporary musician Will.I.Am’s Barack Obama-inspired song, “Yes We Can” in music and on video. And, of course, watch the inauguration together, live on TV, on YouTube, or recorded.
May we all enjoy this pinnacle in our nation’s march toward true equality and may it help bring us enduring peace for ourselves, our children, and all future generations
I’ve just begun contributing articles to Glubble, a nifty new online activity center that helps families safely play and communicate together on the Internet. The center, which is free to join, focuses on families with children under 12 and provides them with a secure environment to browse a wide range of other preapproved Web sites, to chat online. It has features to help you share photos, organize schedules, and play games. It’s a bit like social networking with your family because you can invite relatives from anywhere in the world onto your family page.
The news section is just getting started but already has parenting advice from Linsey Knerl and Sarah Newton as well as my articles, which will be posted several times a month. Glubble has also partnered with Highlights for Children magazine, Sittercity.com babysitting service, and Yahoo! Kids. Take Glubble for a spin and let me know what you think.
From the summer of 2006 to the same season of 2007, my friend Rob Reed and I hosted a podcast about all things baseball. Life and the ever-growing demands of fatherhood for both of us forced us to take a break, though Rob continued doing a show and running his excellent PlayerTrack.com and BaseballGeeks.com sites. Now, he and I are returning to our show for a fun, efficient half-hour discussing the national pastime and its fantasy baseball step-child. The feeling is that baseball is one of our great loves and, frankly, our kids get a kick out of hearing their daddies keep their inner-children alive and well on the air.
Starting on January 13, hear us weekly on Tuesdays at 4pm PST at BlogTalkRadio.com/BaseballGeeks. Let us know what you think. You can fire off comments and questions on this blog entry.
With my own kids starting to be really critical of the choices I make for the top albums of the year, the pressure was almost too much this time around. Add to that the bounty of ambitious and crowd-pleasing CDs in the kid music marketplace and the choices were almost painful make. But weather the stress I did and the result is the third annual Family Man Recommends list of the year’s top 10 family albums! Congratulations to the finalists and kudos to the many other fine albums that graced our ears. (Click on the album titles for full reviews on most of the titles.)
1. Gunnar Madsen - I’m Growing - So original and so in tune with the humor of kids while sporting superb songwriting.
2. Laurie Berkner Band - Rocketship Run - Berkner’s new one is a joyous romp.
3. Medeski Martin and Wood - Let’s Go Everywhere - Score one for being both cool and kid friendly.
4. Ellis Paul - The Dragonfly Races - Transcendent kid-folk music. Great voice.
5. Barenaked Ladies - Snacktime - This CD is all kinds of happy from the zany Canadians.
6. Recess Monkey - Tabby Road - A clever follow-up to their debut, which placed #2 on my list last year.
7. Trout Fishing in America - Big Round World - They’ve never lost their inner child, even after so many recordings.
8. Dan Zanes - Nueva York - Zanes is kindie rock royalty and this celebration of Latino music shows that he never lets his crown rest easy. Lucky us.
9. The Terrible Twos - Jerzy the Giant - A worthy sophomore effort from one of the premiere alt-rock acts for kids.
10. Frances England - Family Tree - With her gentle folk-rock sound and sweetly rendered lyrics have made England a darling of critics and preschoolers.
Among the great groups and albums that deserve honorable mention are They Might Be Giants (Here Come to the 123s), Justin Roberts (Pop Fly), Danielle Sansone (Two Flowers), Buck Howdy with BB (Around the Campfire), Brady Rymer (Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could), Bill Harley (Yes to Running!), Daddy A Go Go (Rock of All Ages), Randy Kaplan (Loquat Rooftop). ScribbleMonster (Songs With No Character), Lisa Loeb (Camp Lisa), and Secret Agent 23 Skiddo (Easy).
If you’re looking to purchase any of these albums, I highly recommend the PokeyPup.com, the most dedicated family music store in the galaxy.
Each year, I stumble to the finish line of the 12 months and look forward to a fresh start. Regarding resolutions, most of what I want to improve or change in my parenting life is not new — which says a lot about my success as a resolver. I still want to manage my temper better and get in and stay in shape, among other goals. This year, I want to spend more one-on-one time with each of my three kids. One note I am trying to keep in mind is that I should not expect perfect resolution and not worry what others think. I need to accept small victories and celebrate improvement.
Lisa Belkin, who writes the “Motherlode” blog at the New York Times, has her own thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions. What are a couple of your own goals?
